I am very pleased that the government has listened and has asked train operators to withdraw their ticket office closure proposals.
The number of ticket office staff hours at Stroud railway station was not due to change but I know people were really worried. Ticket office staff also wanted to ensure they could continue providing the services that many local people have come to rely on and trust, particularly the elderly and more vulnerable passengers.
When the Secretary of State visited Stroud railway station, I was able to go through local concerns and ideas for changes to the station. I collated information to communicate local concerns to ministers. As I have said before, technology has its place and is popular but forcing people who are not tech savvy or not online at the moment risks disenfranchising sections of our communities.
The railway needs reform and it needs to attract more passengers. Limiting how people could travel on it was, in my view, self-defeating and there is more work to do to reduce complexities of travel fares before there are successful changes.
I would like to thank everyone who made their views known to me and the consultation.
